Running
by Jinksyfire
Summary: The Cats have returned once again for the Jellicle Ball. Demeter and Munkustrap now have a kitten, Grizabella returns from the Heaviside Layer, and they Cats are about to face their biggest challenge yet as a mysterious kitten arrives at the Ball!
1. Twilight Part 1

**(Author's Notes)**

**Hello everybody! I'm very happy to announce that I watched **_**Cats**_** for the first time a few days ago and instantly fell in love with it! (I **_**am**_** a cat person, so it was kind of inevitable! ^/^) After a few days of slight planning, and just letting my imagination run wild, I came up with a Fanfiction that I thought would be great to share with all you **_**Cats**_** fans out there! The story begins about a year after the original **_**Cats**_** plot, so there will be new characters added to this story, two of them which will be the main focus of the story! I hope that you will enjoy this beginning of my story! **

**(Story)**

The day was ending, when the twilight was beginning to fade over the horizon and a moon began hovering over a night sky. It shone so beautifully and so bright that even the Junkyard looked magical in its mystical glow. Then, when the light faded completely and the stars began joining the moon, small crashes of trash filled the air as creatures crawled around it. Then, a few tiny meows could be heard. Rumpleteazer and Mungojerrie crept out of the Junkyard; looking for any possible humans they had to prank and tease away in order to begin the ball. Once everything was clear, they beckoned to the other cats hiding in the corners of the Junkyard.

Plato appeared, tall and brave, as he was followed by his mate, Victoria. Jemima followed shortly behind her, then Mr. Mistoffelees, Electra, and the other cats following them. Behind the group of cats were Alonzo and Tumblebrutus, searching the Junkyard for any intruders. Once they beckoned that everything was safe, the cats began to break the silence and chatter away after a full year apart.

However, there was one cat who was not talking cheerfully to the group. Bombalurina glanced around on an old car, as if she was in search of someone. Victoria saw this, and prowled over to her in concern.

"Bombalurina, what is the matter?" She innocently asked. Bombalurina glanced down and gave her a tiny but sad smile.

"Oh nothing. It's just that…I haven't seen Demeter arrive here. I wonder if something might have happened to her…" She replied. Plato, loyally following his mate, overheard Bombalurina's reply.

"Bombalurina, Demeter is your sister, isn't she? I thought she stayed with you outside of the ball." He sternly exclaimed. Bombalurina gave him and equally stern look.

"But we don't! It's only sensible now that she had a mate that she found at last year's Jellicle Ball." She replied. Plato shot her a look of confusion.

"She found a mate last year?...Who?" He asked.

"Take a look Plato…who else is missing so far." Bombalurina asked him as she glanced back to the crowd in the middle of the Junkyard. Plato and Victoria both glanced about the crowd and carefully counted heads. They found everybody except…

"Munkustrap isn't here yet? He's usually the first to show! He's never missed the appearance of his father, Old Deuteronomy! And I knew that he was looking forward to seeing how Grizabella would turn out after her trip to the Heaviside Layer!" Plato exclaimed. Bombalurina was about to spit words back at him, but Victoria noticed the tension and quickly stopped it.

"Guys, maybe they're just going to be a little late. Come on! It's Munkustrap and Demeter we're talking about! They're two of the toughest cats I know! And I know that they wouldn't miss the Jellicle Ball for anything. I'm sure that they'll show up eventu…!" Victoria explained. However, as she talked, a huge crash was heard as bunch of junk feel toward the group of cats below. The cats scurried away from the noise and objects as the junk feel into a single pile in front of them.

Plato instantaneously moved away from the two females and cautiously made his way to the junk pile to investigate. Alonzo then joined him as they circle around the junk pile. Suddenly, the pile moved as junk feel off the top of it, making more noises and scattering the cats even more. As the pile continued to move, a small paw emerged from the pile as something tried to crawl out of it. Plato and Alonzo glanced at each other with curiosity before moving in towards the pile and removing junk from the creature. As they threw trash back to the Junkyard piles, they came across a small grey tom kitten with bold black stripes all over its back and stomach. Once all of the trash was off of the kitten, it looked up at the two tall and sleek cats hovering over it. Its large brown eyes stared up innocently at the two curious toms. As Alonzo was about to speak to the kitten, they heard the sound of pawsteps from above them…and the familiar voice of a proud friend.

"Machillious!" The voice exclaimed. The cats looked up toward the peak of one of the piles and saw a familiar face.

"Munkustrap!" Bombalurina exclaimed as she moved from her pile over to Munkustrap, who continued to stare down sternly at the kitten.

"Munkustrap, is my sister with…!" before Bombalurina could finish her sentence, an adult cat pounced between her and Munkustrap and made her way over to the kitten. Bombalurina caught a whiff of her scent as the cat blazed on through.

"Demeter!" She exclaimed. She and Munkustrap then made their way down the pile toward the cats below. Bombalurina joined the cats while Munkustrap made his way toward Demeter and the kitten.

"Machillious, what did we tell you about running through the junk piles! You could fall and get hurt, we've gone over this before!" Demeter gently scolded as she liked the kitten.

"Yes Mama, I know!" The kitten responded as it glanced up at Demeter.

"Mama?" Bombalurina whispered in the silence. Demeter and Munkustrap glanced at her while the kitten stared at all three of them in confusion. Bombalurina then prowled forward and approached the kitten. After gazing at the kitten, she reached out a paw to him and gingerly tilted his head up and inspected him even more. She then finally saw his eyes, his large and dark brown eyes that glared at her with curiosity and innocence.

"…Your eyes Demeter…but he looks so much like you Munkustrap!" Bombalurina whispered. As she pieced together the pieces in her head, she turned away from the kitten to face Demeter and Munkustrap siting proudly behind the kitten.

"…This young one is yours isn't it? This is your kitten!" Bombalurina exclaimed with a small smile on her face. Munkustrap and Demeter glanced at each other with bliss for a moment, before Demeter turned to her sister.

"Yes Bombalurina…this is our son, Machillious. This is his first time to the Jellicle Ball, so we were trying to calm him down before he came here…and did something like this." Demeter said, ending with a stern look at her kitten, who backed away into his father's lap. Alonzo, his strong ears hearing every word, formed a smile on his face as he heard the good news.

"I can't believe it! Hey, everybody!" Alonzo exclaimed to the other cats as he stood up and presented the family.

"Tonight, we celebrate not only Grizabella return with Old Deuteronomy, but the return of Demeter and Munkustrap with a new kitten, their son, Machillious!" Alonzo exclaimed to the cats. With that last remark, the cats smiled, meowed, and cheered for the new family as they gathered around them, congratulating them and meeting the timid and innocent tom kitten.

**(Author's Notes)**

**I sorry if this chapter feels a little rushed and has no detail. I've never really been all that good with writing out a gathering of people. Plus, I want to try to get the story moving along so that way, we can get to the good parts that will happen later in the story. And, how to pronounce Machillious' name just in case any of you need help. (Mak-ill-e-ous) Please comment on how you like the story so far, and I promise that I will update it as soon as I can. ^_^ **


	2. Twilight Part 2

**(Author's Notes)**

**Heya people, update after…I'm not even gonna look at when I started this story it was that long ago! ^/^ But anyways, I'm on winter break and was cleaning out a bunch of files and junk out of my computer and I came back across this story; and I just thought to myself, "…I should really clean up the plot of this story and actually finish it!" ^^' But here it is, continuation. **

**(Story)**

The Ball had just barely gotten started when Old Deuteronomy made his grand entrance. And the rumors were true, Grizabella had returned from her journey to the Heaviside Layer. When she entered into the Ball, she stunned all of the Cats there. She was no longer the pitiful, scraggly, dirty cat the others had seen last year. All of the dirt and grime was gone from her coat, revealing dark, rich, chocolaty brown fur and wonderfully full locks from the top of her head. She'd gotten her 'Glamour Gene' back into her system.

There was evidence that she'd found owners now and had a family. Around her neck, she had on a red collar with white rhinestones sparkling her neck, further displaying her renewed glamour and warmth she felt in her life again. She had placed herself in a new family, and had taken her own place by Deuteronomy's side. As he was guided towards his usual spot, Grizabella faithfully followed him and stayed close by his side. The Cats had noticed Deuteronomy's gaze at her last year, full of sorrow and pity for her. Now, he'd taken her as his 10th wife.

"Or 100th wife!" Rum Tum Tugger snickered to Alonzo, who chuckled along with him. Jemima gently pawed at Rum Tum Tugger's leg.

"Don't make fun of them! I think they look very sweet together! It's like another Gus and Jellyorum!" Jemima exclaimed with a smile on her face as she turned her attention towards the elderly couple. Rum Tum Tugger just shrugged his shoulders and let her be. If any other cat had scratch at him like that, he would've nipped back at them in an instant. But he'd always had a soft spot for the kitten Jemima. And now that she'd gone from kitten to a _cat_, she had a _very_ special place in his heart.

Meanwhile, all of the younger cats who'd remembered Grizabella as a grizzly cat that kept their distance from them were now surrounding her, petting her fur, talking to her, laughing with her. They were amazed that they were actually able to talk to the Glamour cat. And Grizabella welcomed their company dearly. She'd missed this interaction, the warmth of having friends and other cats to talk to.

However, whenever she was alone, just watching the other cats, her mind began to wander to distant places. She began to think back to when she first had her Glamour Gene, how she lost it, how she deteriorated to the grizzly mess that she was last year. But, she wouldn't dare tell any cat, not even Deuteronomy, and ruin this evening that was so wonderful to her. She was in the middle of another episode of drifting off into space when her sigh was clouded by her past, and her other senses became super sensitive. Despite her age, she still heard the distant clattering of a distant junk pile.

"Deuteronomy, cats! I heard something just now!" She harshly whispered to the crowd of cats. They immediately scattered and hid, keeping as still as possible. Sure enough, they heard the familiar sound of clittering and clattering getting closer as piles of junk tumbled down. Something was getting closer and closer to the Jellicle Ball Area. The cats braced themselves for an attack, possibly Macavity, as they saw a junk pile come tumbling down and a cat along with it. Alonzo, Run Tum Tugger, and Munkustrap began prowling over to the junk pile where the cat had fallen. Before they could reach it, they saw the pile move, and they froze on the spot. Before they could take another step, something popped out of the pile. The trio extended their claws, ready to attack. However, once the creature became still and turned around to face them, they noticed that it wasn't this huge, menacing, scraggly Macavity that they were anticipating. They were staring into the bright green eyes of a mostly white calico kitten.

**(Author's Notes)**

**Anyways, here's the update. I hope that you like what I did for Grizabella. I felt so sorry for her throughout the play that I just had to add a much better version of her into the story. Feel free to review, comment. I'm always happy to hear your thoughts on my stories. **


	3. Twilight Part 3

**(Author's Notes)**

**Hello again people. Time to get a move on with this story. I'm really excited to introduce you to my OC that I created for this story. I based her looks a lot after my own cat, Princess. ^^**

**(Story)**

Alonzo, Rum Tum Tugger, and Munkustrap didn't know what to make of the tiny mitten that now stood before them. The calico was just cautiously staring them down with its bright green eyes. Alonzo took a timid step forward, just enough that he was leaning towards Munkustrap.

"I-it's a kitten..." He whispered. Munkustrap just furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Alonzo with a curious look.

"...Yes...so?" Munkustrap asked.

"...So what do we do? It's not one of ours; all of our kittens are accounted for." Alonzo pointed out. As Munkustrap continued to stare at him, Rum Tum Tugger took the first brave step forward towards the kitten.

"Hey there kiddo. Whatcha doing all the way out here?" Rum Tum quietly asked the kitten. But as he stepped forward, the item only shuffled back, towards the garbage. Rum Tum was quick to step back where he was.

"Hmmmm...timid little thing." He calmly pointed out. Munkustrap turned his attention to a couple of the elder female cats.

"Jellylorum, get over here." He harshly whispered. She quickly rushed over to his side and noticed the kitten. She immediately nodded her head to him in understanding. This kitten was obviously very young, barely old enough to leave its mother. Maybe all it needed was an older female cat that it could trust, not an intimidating male cat.

"Sweetheart, no need to fear young one. I will not hurt you." She said, keeping still. Introducing her to the kitten seemed to work. The kitten perked its ears up at her and looked at the space between it and Jellylorum, deciding whether to get closer to her or not.

"It's fine young one. Here." She quietly said, extending her paw and leaving it there. The kitten stared it down for a few moments before taking her first step towards the paw. Meanwhile, with the rest of the cats…

"Mom, what's going on? Why did everybody freak out all of a sudden?" Machillious asked his mother.

"Shhhh! There's a new kitten over there. Just be quiet." Demeter said, trying to keep her anxious son calm. However, she could tell that she was failing.

"A new kitten? I wanna see! Let me see!" Machillious exclaimed, trying to squirm out of his mother's grip.

"Machillious, no!" Demeter said, trying to shuffle her paws to keep him caged underneath her. However, she failed and Machillious sprinted over toward where the group was. The kitten was just about to touch Jellylorum paw what Machillious suddenly popped in. The kitten quickly retreated, running into a pile of garbage in the process. The sudden noise scared the other cats as well.

"Oh my...Machillious! Why were you thinking?! You can't just run about and do what you please! We were just getting the kitten comfortable around Jellylorum too!" Munkustrap scolded his sin, clearly disappointed at all the vain effort they put into getting the kitten to trust them. However, Machillious wasn't paying any attention to his father. He was looking at the tiny kitten that was now huddled in a ball. A rumbustious kitten like Machillious didn't know what to make to this nervous kitten. But he did know that he'd scared her and that he should've done that. So, he took a couple brave and confident steps towards the kitten. Much to Machillious amazement, the kitten clenched itself in an even tighter ball.

"Hey...kitten..." He said to the kitten, who now had its head turned towards him, watching him closely.

"Listen, I didn't mean to scare ya like that. I was just curious." He quietly said to the kitten. Hearing this, and how softly Machillious was talking, the kitten relaxed and had loosened the ball it formed for itself. It was now just lying down on the ground, but still carefully inspecting Machillious.

"I'm sorry." Machillious finished. Then, the kitten did something the older cats failed to achieve. It smiled at I'm, and nodded its head saying that it understood him. Machillious smiled back at it, happy that he got it to cheer up.

"My name is Machillious. What's yours?" He asked the kitten, sitting down hoping that he could help the kitten to relax and get it to talk to him. The kitten stared up at him for a few moments, mouth hanging open before it respond.

"...Zoraida." She timidly answered him. Machillious furrowed his eyebrows in concentration.

"Zoraida...hmmm...that's a hard name...I think I'll just call you Zora. Sound ok?" He said with a big grin on his face. Zora nodded her head eagerly, very pleased with her nickname.

"But hey, I want to make it up to yam for scaring yam a few minutes ago...hmmm..." Machillious said, pondering how he could apologize to her properly. He suddenly took notice to Zora's paw and formed a mischievous grin on his face. He slowly reached a paw out to her. Zora grew concerned, wondering what he was going to do. He softly swatted Zora's paw and sprinted away.

"TAG! You're it!" He exclaimed, running away from her. He turned back to see how close she was behind him. However, she hadn't moved an inch. Only sat there wide eyed with the paw he swatted tucked underneath here. Machillious gave her an odd look and sprinted over back to her.

"...What's the matter? Don't you know how to play?" He asked her. Zora tilted her head down and shook her head in shame. However, Machillious just got even more excited at the fact that he got to teach her a game.

"Oh ok then, I'll teach you! Yak see, when I tap you, you have to come chasing after me. Then, when you tap me, you scream out 'Tag you're it'. Then, I'll know it'll be my turn to chase after you and tag you. You get it?" Machillious eagerly asked, anxious to play. Zora odder her head enthusiastically, also getting excited that she got to play with him.

"Ok, then, ready?" Machillious asked, holding his paw out in the air, ready to tag her. Zora extended her paw and grinned in anticipation. Machillious noticed her smile and quickly tapped her.

"TAG you're it!" He shouted and started running again. This time, Zora was dangerously close behind him. The other cats just looked at them in disbelief at what just happened. However, the older female cats were not surprised at Zora's quick change of behavior toward Machillious. Jellylorum crept up next to Munkustrap.

"Hmmm, turns out you didn't need my help after all. Your son has apparently inherited your talent of dealing with cats I guess all that she really needed was a friend." She said, staring with a certain pride at Machillious and his accomplishment today. However, shortly after, her pride shifted towards the new kitten.

"TAG you're it!"

**(Author's Notes)**

**Here it is, update. And the one that finally gets the story moving along. Until I get around to updating this story again, feel free to rate, comment, criticize. It's surprisingly hard to write a price for a musical! When you write it just in story form, it makes it seem kinda bland! O.o Hopefully I can change that as I move forward with the story.**


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